Why signing Pepe Reina could work well for Aston Villa

Aston Villa have signed former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina on loan from AC Milan for the rest of the season.

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Reina has joined the club as a replacement for injured No. 1 Tom Heaton, who suffered a serious knee injury in the New Year’s Day win at Burnley. The 37-year-old has only made one appearance for AC Milan all season, with Gianluigi Donnarumma keeping him out of the side. He has now made his debut for the Villans as well, in their 1-1 draw against Brighton.

Reina in action (Image credit: Getty)

Reina made nearly 400 appearances for Liverpool during his eight-year stint at Anfield before Bayern Munich snapped him up in 2014. He has a total of 285 Premier League games to his name, while he has also turned up for Napoli, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Villareal during his career.

The Spain international spent nine years at Liverpool, winning the FA Cup and the League Cup but now, he must play a role in helping Villa fight relegation.

Heaton’s understudy Jed Steer, who was the first-choice during the club’s promotion from the Championship, is also out through injury.

Heaton is out with a knee injury (Image credit: Getty)

Reina could make an emotional return to Anfield on April 11th, when the Reds host his new side in the Premier League.

Verdict

Reina is experienced and has played in the Premier League previously. He certainly has the quality to fill in for Heaton and improve Villa. Currently plagued by injuries, the Villans are in the relegation zone. Bringing in the right players would make all the difference between staying up or going down – and Reina is certainly a player in the right mould.